As the popularity of long takes increases, the quality begins to decrease. So, what makes this technique good, and what makes it bad?
More and more, film directors are taking advantage of the long take technique in their films. The long take, or one-take shot, is a technique where a director will film a scene with no cuts in the camera movement, so it seems like the camera is continuously rolling. Most directors will achieve this with secret cuts, such as something being thrown at the camera or a sudden pan to another part of the set. Usually, these shots run for over 90 seconds without a cut, but it varies from film to film.
Atomic Blonde, the spy action thriller starring Charlize Theron, is the most recent film to rely on this technique. Many action films use the long take as a way to authenticate a fight sequence. By using the long take, it seems like the camera is tracking a fight sequence for an extended period of time without breaking, making the actors and stunt people look more impressive.
In two of the scenes, this pays off in AtomicBlonde. The action is fantastic and allows the audience to really appreciate the fight choreography. But other attempts revealed errors that ultimately hurt the action. There was even one scene where the audience was laughing at the action. The take was so long the action turned comedic when it was supposed to be a key battle. This is why it’s important to know what makes a long take. To help show the differences, here are a few tips on how to properly do a long take, with good and bad examples.
Know when to cut
Starting off this list is the most obvious piece of advice. The point of the long take is to show off the action in a continuous fashion. But, the action can only last so long before it either ends or gets repetitive. The long take becomes a waste of time if there’s nothing keeping viewers entertained in the scene.
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